This is my third article in the series called Life at My Desk (Part 1 & Part 2). The purpose of the series is to explain why I use the stuff I use in my office and maybe providing some inspiration along the way. I have been blamed for having clutter in my room, but most of it is stuff I use daily or have some meaning to me. In other words, the things in the space either serve a specific purpose or show some part of my personality.
Right now, I am concentrating on the stuff that have a real use in the office, but I will explain why I have some of the other stuff in the space in due time. I should also mention that my office setup is always in the state of flux, so things are always moving in and out, but I am fairly sure I will be using these speakers for a long time to come.
I should mention, that this article isn't a product recommendation or review like some of my other articles. It would be hard to find some of the speakers mentioned below unless you got them from eBay. Therefore, this article is about giving people ideas about what they can do with their setups. I watch some of the setup shows on Youtube and there are super PC gaming computers combined with speakers that are complete junk or they are mounted so high or low that anything representing decent sound is lost. Sound quality is a huge part of the experience, so my preference is for having better speakers. I also like headphones and feel like there is a place for both speakers and headphones in most setups, but nothing compares to the realism of decent speakers.
Right now, I am concentrating on the stuff that have a real use in the office, but I will explain why I have some of the other stuff in the space in due time. I should also mention that my office setup is always in the state of flux, so things are always moving in and out, but I am fairly sure I will be using these speakers for a long time to come.
I should mention, that this article isn't a product recommendation or review like some of my other articles. It would be hard to find some of the speakers mentioned below unless you got them from eBay. Therefore, this article is about giving people ideas about what they can do with their setups. I watch some of the setup shows on Youtube and there are super PC gaming computers combined with speakers that are complete junk or they are mounted so high or low that anything representing decent sound is lost. Sound quality is a huge part of the experience, so my preference is for having better speakers. I also like headphones and feel like there is a place for both speakers and headphones in most setups, but nothing compares to the realism of decent speakers.
2 Channel Audio
Music and video are the main reasons I have a setup like this rather than just using a laptop in my living room. In the last several years, I have mainly used Logitech's excellent Z680 speakers that provided decent surround sound. I never liked them much for music, so I ended up adding a pair of bookshelf speakers to the setup and eventually ended up where I am now.
A few years back, I had 4 NHT SB2 speakers combined with one NHT SC-1 center channel speaker in my living room. Here is a decent article on the setup (though, I combined mine with a sub from Elemental Designs).
Over the years, I eventually updated my main setup to the excellent Monitor Audio Silver RS6 surround setup and moved the NHTs to my bedroom. The NHTs were simply overkill for the space, especially using them as surround speakers. Therefore, I pulled the two back speakers out of the bedroom (replaced them with a pair of Best Buy Insignia Speakers) and put a pair of NHT speakers in my office. They are excellent for a small space because bass extends to a respectable 51 HZ and they can even be wall mounted if you want. These speakers made a much better sounding alternative to the Logitech surround speakers.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
As a side note, I put them up on Azar display cubes so they would be at ear level. I am tall, so that is also why my iMac is up on a Grovemade stand. I used Blutack to temporarily seal them to the cubes.
A few years back, I had 4 NHT SB2 speakers combined with one NHT SC-1 center channel speaker in my living room. Here is a decent article on the setup (though, I combined mine with a sub from Elemental Designs).
Over the years, I eventually updated my main setup to the excellent Monitor Audio Silver RS6 surround setup and moved the NHTs to my bedroom. The NHTs were simply overkill for the space, especially using them as surround speakers. Therefore, I pulled the two back speakers out of the bedroom (replaced them with a pair of Best Buy Insignia Speakers) and put a pair of NHT speakers in my office. They are excellent for a small space because bass extends to a respectable 51 HZ and they can even be wall mounted if you want. These speakers made a much better sounding alternative to the Logitech surround speakers.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
As a side note, I put them up on Azar display cubes so they would be at ear level. I am tall, so that is also why my iMac is up on a Grovemade stand. I used Blutack to temporarily seal them to the cubes.
Surround Sound
This year, I updated my receiver in the room and decided to put together a better system for surround sound. I actually had a pair of Presidian Speakers in my garage, but decided to exchange them with the Logitechs (which will actually be more useful in my garage/gym). The Presidians are relatively small speakers that I initially bought to pair with a Super T-amp in my kitchen. They weren't really a great fit for that room, but they are ideal for my office as surround speakers.
I also needed to add a center channel speaker. The most important feature I needed was that the speaker needed to fit between the display and monitor arm for my iMac. Obviously, part of the speaker would still be slightly blocked (like my old Logitech Center Channel), but I came to the conclusion that I could live with that issue for aesthetic reasons. Well, I ran across the Polk speaker and it was priced less than $100 and was perfectly sized for the spot. Keep in mind that I wouldn't go this route for my main setup, but we are talking about a very small space and I will be sitting close to the center channel speaker. If I had to, I could always pull the speaker out and put it in front of the Mac, or simply tilt the iMac display back, when I am watching movies or listening to SACDs.
To round out the setup, I also stole thePolk Sub From the bedroom. We don't watch very many movies back in that space, so I figured that I would replace it before we knew it was gone. So far, I haven't replaced it, but I found a more powerful Polk Sub for $88 that I will buy for the bedroom.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
I also needed to add a center channel speaker. The most important feature I needed was that the speaker needed to fit between the display and monitor arm for my iMac. Obviously, part of the speaker would still be slightly blocked (like my old Logitech Center Channel), but I came to the conclusion that I could live with that issue for aesthetic reasons. Well, I ran across the Polk speaker and it was priced less than $100 and was perfectly sized for the spot. Keep in mind that I wouldn't go this route for my main setup, but we are talking about a very small space and I will be sitting close to the center channel speaker. If I had to, I could always pull the speaker out and put it in front of the Mac, or simply tilt the iMac display back, when I am watching movies or listening to SACDs.
To round out the setup, I also stole thePolk Sub From the bedroom. We don't watch very many movies back in that space, so I figured that I would replace it before we knew it was gone. So far, I haven't replaced it, but I found a more powerful Polk Sub for $88 that I will buy for the bedroom.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Room Correction
The Onkyo in the space has the easiest setup imaginable. You put a provided microphone in the main listening position, hit one button, and wait for the program to run through a series of test sounds for each speaker. The measurements made sense and fit the crossovers I was expecting. I popped The Beach Boys Pet Sounds SACD player into my SACD player in surround mode and it sounded fantastic....a lot better than I expected. This will insure that I get a lot more use out of my surround sound SACDs and DVD-As!
The Wrap Up
As you can see, I take audio seriously. Now I don't feel like I am making huge sacrifices when listening to music or watching a movie in the room. Sure, I could have gone with some Bluetooth speakers or some of the other low-end stuff I see in most desk setups, but I want this room to excel in media playback so I don't feel like I am making huge concessions by playing media in this space rather than my living room where I have my main setup. Also, I was able to put the Presidians in a space that they are much more useful and put the Logitechs in my garage where 5.1 speakers will better serve my home gym machine and the elliptical machine. All in all, it is a nice upgrade all around.
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